In 1976 he was the Division One English Schools 100m Butterfly
Champion

His Swimming career started atDarlington ASCwhere he was coached by
Eric Wilkinson before moving to Leeds CentralSwimming Clubin 1976 to be coached by Terry Denison who went on to be Great Britain National Swimming coach.

At Leeds he trained with a number of other International swimmers includingAndrew
Astburyand Peter Robinson. His father used to drive him from Darlington to Leeds to train for 2 hours, 5 days a week in the Leeds 50m International Pool a
round trip of 132 miles.

His Medical career started at Darlington Memorial Hospital in 1980 where
he specialised inOrthopaedic Surgery.He left
the NHS in 1985 to pursue a career in Orthopaedic Medical Devices where he worked forSmith & Nephew Orthopaedicsfor 11 years with his final position at the company being Responsible for the European Orthopaedic Market
consisting of 15 European Countries.